I love to travel. There’s so much to be inspired by when visiting another continent, country, or even taking a road trip to a neighboring state or city. So, when I went to Asia for the first time, I was beyond excited. Meeting the people, seeing the sights, tasting the food, hearing the music…I was enamored with the culture. I took pictures, I bought souvenirs, and when I came back home to New York, I started re-decorating. Although I am always changing up the look of our house, I still find that Asian-inspired items usually find their way into a room.

My personal space – formerly cream & white – was my first transformation after my trip to Asia. I loved the use of red throughout the continent, so I purchased the toile wallpaper from Schumacher & co and re-decorated the room around it.

Most countries in Asia have some variation on the ‘Foo Dog’ – a creature that protects homes & sacred temples that resembles a lion and a dog. These two are souvenirs from a trip overseas that stand guard on our bookshelf.

These blue & white cannisters, decorated with Asian-inspired vignettes, are in the dining room of our Florida getaway.

A flair for Asian style isn’t restricted to interior design – fashion designers like Jason Wu, Oscar de la Renta, and Miu Miu have also been inspired by overseas. This image, from the website www.fabsugar.com shows some of the Asian-inspired trends from 2012.